Drifting Together
by The RPGenius
Summary: Love can be born from so many emotions...attraction, respect, admiration, friendship...what about annoyance? Many, many thanks to Gallows' Stalker for her help in this fic's creation. It could not have been done without her consistant patience and input


_Disclaimer_: I do not own Wild Arms 3, nor the characters associated with it. But, since I don't make any money whatever by writing about it, it's all good.

**Drifting Together**

Filgaia was a world steeped in its own past. For every active town that adorned its surface, there were at least four ancient structures nearby…sanctuaries of knowledge and worship, tombs of great rulers and heroes made insignificant by the sands of time consuming their resting chambers, temples holding treasures and beasts both petty and great, all built by various cultures of differing times for an assortment of reasons. In the present day, these buildings, often laced with traps and filled by beasts, either left there by the creators as eternal guardians ever breeding more of their own, or simply infested by fiercely territorial creatures who appreciated the largely undisturbed darkness and quiet found within, were typically held to be little more than curiosities by the various townsfolk and travelers that beheld them. Sometimes, an overzealous historian looking for forgotten knowledge, a greedy drifter looking to find treasure worth some easy gella, or a well-intentioned individual seeking old technology that could benefit society once again would intrude upon the sanctity of the aged buildings (and more often than not, find themselves fatally unprepared for the defenses within). For the most part, however, Filgaia's citizens had the sense not to disturb them.

There were, however, some people who just could not leave well enough _alone_.

At least, Virginia reflected as she hastily reloaded her revolvers while taking cover behind a sturdy granite pillar, Maya had chosen one of the rare old temples not crawling with monsters this time. A few traps, sure, but no angry beasts.

Yes. Great. Because fighting some random monsters was so much less safe than exchanging gunfire, explosives, and destructive magic spells in a narrow, short hallway.

Naturally, the reader is entitled some explanation of why Virginia had once again found herself in a life-threatening battle in the midst of some musty old ruins, though any audience familiar with the heroic lass is likely not very shocked to find her in such circumstances.

It has been said that a hero's work is never done. Virginia was far too modest to ever consider herself a heroine, but if she had, she would have heartily agreed with the old saying. Almost immediately after defeating Beatrice, and by doing so both saving the world and having herself and her friends branded as murderous outlaws by the inhabitants of the Ark of Destiny, Virginia and company were quickly reminded of the promise that Maya had made prior to their final battle with Beatrice that her next target, her next big "gem," would be Filgaia itself. Virginia supposed she shouldn't have just gone and forgotten about something so monumental as that, but she honestly hadn't really thought Maya was serious about it. Even Maya Schroedinger wouldn't go and try something THAT ridiculous.

That, of course, was proven an erroneous assumption to make as, a month or so later, Maya began to bombard a few towns using a long-range Sandcraft canon unseen previously (likely yet another artifact found in an ancient tomb of some sort) with warning fire, demanding that they one by one recognize her as their global leader. It was an absurd, brash, and arrogant plan. Virginia could have told it was Maya even if the ambitious blonde hadn't already publicly revealed herself.

Virginia, Jet, Gallows, and Clive had stopped her, of course, destroying the Sandcraft before there could be any casualties (or surrenders) and defeating the Schroedingers by the usual narrow margin. And in the few months since then, Virginia had been leading her friends in a seemingly endless journey of tracking Maya's group down, preventing them from acquiring or using whatever new means of world conquest they'd come up with (accursed ancient peoples and their incessant habit of housing all their most dangerous devices and knowledge! Why couldn't their weapons ever die out when they did?), only to have them all escape her and leave to repeat the cycle.

Not that Virginia was quite sure what she would do if she ever were to catch Maya. Even after the Sandcraft scare, there was still a much larger price on each of Virginia's party's heads than on all of Maya's party's put together (those Ark of Destiny people certainly had plenty of cash to fritter away on misplaced vengeance), so turning her in to any local law authorities might be a complicated matter. Even if she were inclined to do so, that is, which she really wasn't. Maya didn't really ever seem to mean any harm, and it was very rare that anyone (besides Virginia and her friends) got hurt from her shenanigans.

It had gotten to the point where Virginia could sum up her present situation as "Same old, same old." She was crouching behind the cover of a cool stone pillar, one of a couple dozen supporting the low ceiling of a narrow hallway in this old temple several miles from the town of Jolly Roger. Around her in the torch-lit gloom, her allies and Maya's were battling, as always. As if unconsciously trying to add some exciting variation to the same old life-threatening combat they'd been through several times this season already, the participants this time had broken off into pairs. Jet was artfully evading thrown explosives from Alfred, searching for the right angle as he ran and dodged to send some return fire. Todd had wisely brought his battle with Clive into close range, slashing at the scholarly sniper and forcing him to use his impressive rifle to block the butler's saber. Further back, near the entrance, Shady blasted his unique breaths of extreme temperature at Gallows, who was countering with oppositely-charged elemental spells.

That left Virginia and Maya to duel as the archrivals they were, each firing their handguns at one another with reckless abandon, yet each trying to aim for the other's non-vital areas. A slug to the arm, a grazing shot to the side, these were things that a quick spell or applied berry could fix admirably. But even Filgaia's rare and valuable curative flora and magic could not reverse death, nor save one from a direly fatal hit. They were rivals, not bitter enemies; they had no interest in destroying each other.

Virginia suddenly realized that the time she'd been crouching safely hidden was beginning to get suspiciously long. Usually, Maya would be by now firing her enormous machine gun at where Virginia was trying to hide, demanding that she come out and face her properly (Virginia never quite understood the logic of this; she was supposed to go dashing into the open while Maya was filling the air with a hail of bullets?). But as Virginia concentrated, she found she couldn't hear her foe-friend at all.

Hoping that the blonde drifter was not just waiting to see the whites of her eyes before resuming fire, Virginia peeked around the pillar, and saw…nothing. Maya wasn't anywhere. It was as though she'd vanished, or…

Or slipped away to the central treasure room while Virginia was occupied. Drat that sneaky girl!

Virginia leapt to her feet and dashed to the exit (belatedly hoping that Maya was not actually just hiding to draw her out). The next room, core of these ruins, was pretty much what she would have expected from experience. It was a circular chamber, with statues carved into the walls all around, all dramatically facing and holding their hands out to the center of the room, as if the raised pedestal, illuminated by a beam of light, did not already adequately showcase the reason for the building's construction: a leather-bound, thick book.

Virginia had often wondered if people in the past could not have found anything better to do with their time.

What was occupying the heroine's thoughts now, however, was that an all-too-familiar blonde in a bright orange coat was nearly to the top of the steps leading to that pedestal, letting loose an equally all-too-familiar chuckle of imagined victory. Virginia began to run up the steps as fast as she could to catch up. Hearing this, Maya turned around for a moment, then wasted another moment letting out an indignantly irate cry before turning back to keep ascending to her prize.

Despite Virginia's best efforts and the moments Maya had wasted, it was Maya who reached the tome first. She scooped it into her arms and crowed her victory over Virginia, who had just arrived, breathing heavily, to stand a foot away from her. Doubtless she would have begun a patronizing lecture to the "novice" drifter, as usual, had the floor beneath them both not suddenly slid open. With no time to react even with a look of surprise, Virginia, Maya, and the book all fell into the new pit, landing on a very smooth and sheer ramp in the dark and immediately sliding down it. Momentarily terrified, all sorts of nasty possibilities entered Virginia's mind as to what might be at the bottom as she scrambled for something to hold on to. She and Maya could be headed for a pit of jagged spikes, a den of venomous serpents, a vat of boiling magma…

Or, maybe the slide just led to a well-lit prison cell, depositing each girl onto the cold stone floor with an "Oomph!" Not nearly so dramatic, but Virginia really couldn't complain.

Actually, upon standing, dusting herself off, and seeing Maya do the same, Virginia changed her mind and decided that she could, indeed, complain quite loudly. "Perfect! Well, this is another lovely mess I'm in that I can thank Maya Schroedinger for. Thanks for just one more delightful experience I can add to my memories, Maya!"

Virginia rarely lost her temper, even at so frequently vexing a woman as Maya. Considering how much trouble Maya had caused her lately, though, and that a moment ago Virginia had been certain they were both going to die, one could certainly understand why she might lose her temper.

Maya, of course, was not in such an understanding mood. "Oh, don't go and blame ME for your mistakes! If you'd butt out and mind your own business instead of getting in my way whenever you possibly can, you wouldn't even be here. If you just stopped your stupid meddling, you'd be fine!"

"Yes, I should just sit back and watch you take over the world," Virginia said in sarcastic frustration, rolling her eyes.

"That would be the idea, yes!"

Virginia threw her hands up in exasperation. "Or maybe YOU could just stop doing this and give everyone on the planet a little peace! You could give this nonsense up just as easily as I could!"

Maya folded her arms and lifted her chin in stubborn defiance. "I've told you before, I'm not quitting until I get the purest, greatest, most sparkling gem. I'll stop when I have my gem, and I'm not going to settle for anything less!"

Virginia found herself missing the days when Maya had meant that in the more literal sense of searching for crystals, rather than now meaning Filgaia itself. At least back then they could, on rare occasions, bump into each other and remain civil.

"Well, Maya, you're doing a lousy job of taking over the world where I'm standing! Half a dozen plans of conquest failed, all of them ridiculous, and you're here, standing in a prison cell instead of atop some pretentious throne. You're further away from your precious gem than ever!" Virginia heatedly told her.

There was a pause, a momentary furious silence.

"Never mind! Just…never mind!" Maya yelled. "You don't understand a single stupid thing!"

Maya's tone cut through Virginia's anger instantly. It was a tone of anger Virginia had never heard come from the girl yet. Blusterous, brazen, bold Maya…was hurt. It was in her face, as well, trying to hide behind arrogant anger, but too clearly there. Something Virginia had said had really, honestly upset her rival.

"Maya? What's wrong?" she asked now, all irritations forgotten in favor of genuine concern.

"It's none of your business."

"I--I'm sorry," Virginia fumbled.

"I'm telling you, Virginia, just. Back. Off!" Maya snapped.

Virginia said no more. Although confused, she could tell that pressing the issue was only going to upset Maya more. The girls sat down and waited in silence, Maya brooding in the corner of the cell and Virginia watching her in hopes of understanding what had happened.

Eventually, the uneventful silence made Virginia a bit edgy. She stood and examined the room. It wasn't very interesting, just three walls, a row of metal bars, and a floor, barren save for its occupants. The chute that had dropped them here was set in the wall further up, too high for them to reach, even if one stood on the other's shoulders. Besides which, it would be far too smooth and sheer to climb back up.

That exit being unreachable, Virginia next went to examine the bars that made this place a prison. They didn't look particularly special. They were metal, set closely enough to one another that there was no way to squeeze through, and went from the floor to the ceiling. Thinking that perhaps some might have become loose with the passing of so many years, Virginia reached her hands toward one.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Maya remarked from her spot in the corner.

Mildly irate at perhaps being patronized once again by Maya, but more just happy to be spoken to after the prolonged silence, Virginia asked why not.

Maya shrugged and told her, "They could be magically charged to give you a nasty zap if you touch them. A lot of ruins I've been in have bars that do that."

Virginia retracted her arms and sighed in annoyance. She decided she might as well heed Maya's warning and perhaps spare herself the pain; those bars looked quite sturdy, anyway.

"Don't be too worried," Maya reassured her in an almost bored voice. "My brother and Todd will find us before too long."

"Yeah," Virginia agreed, sitting back down against the far side wall from Maya's corner. "My friends will be helping them look for us, too.

"At least we won't have to wait around with the usual dismal assortment of skeletons and other remains of past intruders," she added brightly, pleased by the emptiness of the cell in that regard.

"I'm not surprised," Maya replied off-handedly. "I can't really think of anyone but me who would risk their lives exploring this place if they knew what its treasure was."

Eager to pass the time they'd spend waiting for rescue, Virginia looked over at the book Maya had wanted so badly, which had flown straight from the chute and through the bars during their descent before. "What is that, anyway? Is it a book of spells, or a manual for weapons, or something?"

"Your imagination is so bland and crude," Maya told her, the usual infuriating haughtiness starting to creep back into her voice. "I, on the other hand, try to think more creatively."

"Right, your first plan of just firing a canon until you got your way wasn't crude at all."

"Quiet," Maya ordered reflexively. "Anyway, the legend behind this place is that the people who made it did so out of homage to an incredible hero, the most powerful warrior ever, who could save or destroy entire cities with a single blow from his axe. How exactly THAT works, I don't know. Anyways, the people who built this place supposedly hid in its center a record of all his adventures…"

"…and you thought that if you could read the book, you'd be able to do that shape-changing thing and use his powers," Virginia finished. That certainly would be a handy thing for getting out of their current predicament…if the book weren't on the other side of the bars, easily beyond reach.

Maya nodded and smiled in a satisfied way. Whether she was pleased with Virginia's picking up on her plan, its cunning, or both, Virginia couldn't say. Regardless, that seemed to be all she was interested in saying on the matter, and once more the girls fell silent. Virginia noticed that Maya seemed to be brooding again; it looked like whatever had upset her earlier still hadn't left her mind.

Virginia was still hesitant to investigate what was wrong. In the time she'd known Maya, Virginia had never before seen her upset. She had seen Maya angry (many, many times), and even fearful, but never hurt. Certainly, she had not known the more experienced drifter for very long, but she nonetheless knew Maya very well, strangely, and she could tell that this was a very unusual state for her.

Virginia sighed in exasperation. Nothing to do but to just sit and wait to be rescued She wasn't particularly worried--her companions were exceptionally capable, as were Maya's, so they'd surely find the two women reasonably soon. She was, however, getting a little bored.

As they sat wordlessly passing the minutes, Virginia began to wish that Maya would say something, _anything_. Even a smug lecture or irate fit would be welcome replacements for this uncomfortable silence. She didn't like having Maya upset with her; it bothered her much more greatly than she would have anticipated.

Some more time passed, so uneventful that Virginia could not distinguish one minute from ten, until she finally felt she HAD to break the silence.

"I don't believe you."

"Huh?" Maya grunted, coming out of her introspection to fix a glare, more reflexive than hostile, on her frequent rival.

"I don't believe you," Virginia repeated. "I don't think you really are out to take the world as your own. Even you have to know it's impossible, especially with the absurd ideas you've come up with so far. You have to know that even if you could beat my friends and me, someone else would stop you before long."

Maya snorted. "Yeah? Then why bother pestering me all the time? You could leave me alone like I told you, and just let someone else do it."

"Because I don't want people to be hurt," Virginia said with earnest insistence. "When we battle, it's…it's more like a test of skill than real combat. I'm out to stop you, not hurt you, or worse. And I trust you enough to know that if you end up winning, you won't do anything dangerous to me, or my friends. But if it came to someone else setting out to stop you, or maybe being hired to, they might be out to kill you. They might be out to end you by any means necessary, and you'd have to respond by fighting the same way."

"Hey, I don't hold back when we fight!" Maya interrupted indignantly. "And don't pretend that you do, either; you only barely manage to ever beat me!

"Mostly by dumb luck," she added a second later as a characteristic after-thought.

"Not my point, and you know it," Virginia debated, pushing aside her mild annoyance at Maya's jab. "We don't hold back, but that's still a lot different from being out to _destroy_ each other. All I'm saying is…it might be different if others took my place, and they, or you, might get hurt, or worse. And I don't want that to be what happens because I let someone else do my part. I don't want anyone to be hurt because of me, even indirectly, and I'll take my knocks and bruises to keep it from happening."

"There's that selfless hero routine of yours again," Maya remarked with an offhand annoyance, almost as though it were more practiced than genuine. It seemed like there was something else in her voice, too, something small, almost unnoticeable through flat ire.

But Virginia had no time to contemplate it. She was too focused on this to think of other things. "Anyway, Maya, you're trying to get me side-tracked here. I want to get back to the point. You're too smart a person to really believe you'll succeed at this rate. And you've suddenly, mysteriously gotten really sloppy at covering your trail, I've noticed. Before this nonsense, it was almost always an accident or you following us when we met up, but lately, I've tracked you down in places like this three or four times. You're not leaving us clues, but you can't be trying to cover your trail like you used to, either. I'm starting to think that you WANT us to stop you."

Maya crossed her arms in defiance. "Look, I just told you what I'm after, and that was the truth."

"But it doesn't make any sense! If you were serious about taking over the world--"

"I told you what I want; you are _assuming_," Maya interrupted heatedly.

Not for the first time that day (or even that hour), Maya stopped Virginia in her tracks and made her utterly confused. "You said you wanted your gem…"

And then realization hit her. "It's not Filgaia any more?"

"You're finally wising up," Maya said, smirking. There was something wrong with her smirk, though. There was something else in it, behind it, the same as when she had spoken a few moments ago. But this time, what was hiding was different, and perhaps just a little clearer. This time, Virginia could almost swear that she saw…could it be? Maya was…nervous?

Brow furrowing in thought, Virginia considered this. If Maya's goals had changed, why did she keep coming up with plans for world conquest? The only thing they would do would be to…draw attention.

"You want to be found," Virginia mused aloud, watching Maya's expression. "You want us to show up and stop you."

Maya's face told her that she was on the right track, but was not quite there. Something was missing…and with a little more thought, Virginia had it.

"It's not you wanting _us_ to show up…you've never really given a second glance to Clive, Jet, and Gallows. I'm not sure you even know their names. You…you want me to come. You want to see me?"

Bingo. Maya continued to smirk as she nodded her head, and now Virginia was almost sure she saw fear in her rival's eyes.

She herself was quite perplexed, of course. "Maya, _why_? That…it's…that doesn't make any sense. It's ridiculous! If you wanted to see me or spend time with me or something, you could just ASK to! Instead you're going to all this trouble to get my attention, just to have me come and fight you? Why not just approach me normally?"

"Because it isn't the same!" Maya told her with unexpected fervor. Her face suddenly lit up with excited passion as she continued, "I want to see you come charging in to strike down injustice! Fired, determined! I want to see you rushing into the fray, six shooters blazing for heroic ideals, a paragon of virtue, ready to put your life on the line for others' and for those crazy, beautiful beliefs that nothing can knock out of your naïve, silly, stubborn, courageous head!"

"I…I thought I annoyed you with that," Virginia stated, not sure what to say now.

"You do!" Maya responded, frowning as her voice went back to a far more familiar tone of loud vexation. "You drive me CRAZY with your superhero routine! None of it makes any sense at all! How you can be a Drifter, see what you see, do what you do, and be so completely, totally out of touch with reality is beyond me. Anyone can take advantage of your naïveté, and some HAVE, and you just keep on going along the same as ever, never letting any experience or common sense drive out those lovely intangibles you're determined to live by and stand for. It's stupid!

"And," Maya continued, voice suddenly losing almost all its irritation, filling instead with a strong, reluctant warmth, "it's inspiring, where no other Drifter has kept it so long or adamantly. It's an enduring heroism, and it…it's inspiring, that's all."

And it was then that it really struck Virginia, what Maya was telling her. It wasn't just an explanation for actions. It wasn't just a remarkable piece of encouragement from a respected rival that reassured her that she was ultimately respected by her.

It was an admission. Maya was letting down barriers, and Virginia knew that the blonde drifter valued them dearly, so much so that she even used one for her very appearance, utilizing her powers to fool the world into thinking that a scrawny, bespectacled bookworm was a daring, dangerous-looking adventuress. And what Maya had just revealed, without saying as much, what she had made herself vulnerable to say, was that Virginia…Virginia was her hero. Grudgingly, perhaps completely against her will, yes, but the one who inspired her nonetheless.

It was a ponderous thing to know.

"So that's why I do this," Maya finished, taking her eyes off Virginia and looking down at the floor, at nothing. "I want to see that, so I bring it out myself. It's…it's the same as always. It's the same. I know deep down that if I do my best, if I give it my all and make my greatest effort, I'll be rewarded with the most beautiful, the purest, the very most sparkling gem.

"And you're it."

Virginia, for her part, was totally blown away, and scrambling desperately to gather her thoughts, for she knew she should say something, anything, to respond to her rival-friend's brave revelations. It was still going to take a lot of time for her to really come to grips with and adjust herself to being someone's idol of heroism, particularly given the facts that Virginia was a modest girl by nature, and that it was none other than Maya Schroedinger, the woman drifter unlike any other, who felt that way. And now, to know even further the extent of Maya's governing emotions…had Maya meant her words to sound the way they had? To imply that her reluctant admiration, relentless pursuit, and even repressed nervousness were born of a romantic notion, in a dual sense of the word?

Maya took a deep breath to steady herself, looked up once more straight into Virginia's eyes, and told her with a firm resolve wrapped around uncertainty, "I…I want to kiss you."

Well, one thing consistent about Maya was that she left few things ambiguous. A moment passed, with their eyes still locked to one another's in a different kind of soul-baring, and then Virginia swallowed and said, "I'm not stopping you."

Deeper, analytical thought could wait until later. Right now, Maya deserved an answer, recognition of what a feat of trust and hope she had just made. And that, Virginia could give her, for the important thing for right now that she knew was that, regardless of what answers and dilemmas she could discover later from all this, she had no qualms accepting and complying with Maya's unformed offer and request. She suspected that, in truth, she wanted it just as much.

Permission obtained, Maya leaned forward and crawled over to where Virginia sat, and stopped in front of the brunette, sitting back on her heels. Virginia waited and battled to keep her breathing steady for a few moments as blue eyes met blue eyes in a steady, imploring gaze. Maya then moved her head forward, pursing her lips, eyes still fixed on Virginia's, and Virginia pursed her own lips in anticipation. Then Maya hesitated, so very close now that Virginia could feel the girl's warm breath brushing against her face, and after a moment more of hesitation, brought an arm forward to lay her hand on Virginia's back. Virginia quivered at this slight touch, at the emotion, the promise behind it.

They stayed this way for another moment, each breathing deeply, until Virginia could not take the wait any longer. In a fluid, but calm and slow motion, she reached her own arm forward to mirror Maya's action and place a hand upon her rival's back, and then pulled herself forward in the same steady, careful pace to touch her lips to Maya's.

There were no fireworks. There was no incredible moment frozen in time forever. It was just a kiss. It was not life-altering, as the poets have often sought to describe the first kiss between two people firmly set in caring for one another, but it was all the same pleasurable, and important, for them both. It was a quiet thing of sweet elegance, tinged with significance, as each woman enjoyed the soft comfort of the other's lips and near embrace. And when it ended, and each drew away, they were not gasping for air, for there had been little excessive passion, but rather breathing more deeply and clearly than before, quiet air rushing through fragments of voice that made a series of unintelligible whispers to speak their hearts far clearer than any words formed.

"You were trembling," Virginia stated, having nothing else communicable she could share.

"I was doing no such thing."

"You were," Virginia insisted earnestly, not about to let Maya's standard emptily disagreeable answer affect her.

Maya narrowed her eyes as she looked to the side and gave an irate "Harrumph!" Virginia this time detected a note of embarrassment in the girl's annoyed voice as she mumbled, "Was nervous…first time."

"You've never kissed anyone before?" Virginia asked, honestly surprised. She herself had kissed a few people, of course, and she would have expected someone as daring and attractive as Maya to have done the same.

The Schroedinger lady thankfully did not mistake Virginia's mild shock for mockery, and shrugged as she looked back to her. "I've just never wanted to before. I've never met anyone else that…that makes me this way."

Virginia wasn't really given a chance to reply (not that she likely would have really known how to respond to such a declaration), for Maya, having overcome her shyness now that she had experienced one, leant forward to give and take another kiss. This time, it wasn't just a kiss of confirmation, of revelation of feelings half acknowledged and half hidden. This one was more basic, a giving and receiving of need between them both.

As they were joined, Maya began to do more than just hold Virginia. The hand upon her back began to slowly, rhythmically move up and down, while Maya's other reached out to lay her fingers on Virginia's side, firmly dragging them around to her belly, then back again. Virginia's body was, by now, primed to experience every subtle detail of Maya's touch, and she shuddered at the sensation, felt so acutely even through the fabrics of her clothes and Maya's gloves. And as this happened, Maya began to lean further into the kiss, pushing Virginia gently back, until Maya's encircling hands were using her torso for soft support, as Virginia was once more sitting back against the wall.

Finally, Maya broke the kiss and drew back slightly. She locked her eyes to Virginia's, and Virginia could see in those azure orbs a request for permission, and a powerful desire--Maya's wish to make what she wanted hers. There was lust to it, but it was a strange lust, containing more than just naked hunger. Her eyes held an eager readiness for the fun unknown, the same look Virginia had often beheld on her rival's face when she was seeking adventure.

And for her part, Virginia Maxwell nodded and smiled. Being with Maya just…seemed right. Like a final, awaited culmination of a long-suppressed, mutual need.

Maya wasted no time once she felt she had adequate approval. She quickly pulled her tough gloves off, casting them aside as she touched Virginia's side once more, fully feeling the fabric for the first time. She barely dwelled a moment, though, and then lifted her hands up to explore the purple overcoat that covered her shoulders and arms. She looked momentarily perplexed to find that Virginia's coat had no clasp or button to keep closed, until her dexterous fingers examined the bright red bow over the jacket's center, and found the long, thick pin on its underside that punctured the meeting sides of the garment to keep it snugly closed. This small mystery solved, Maya quickly removed the bow, freeing the jacket's sides to hang loosely, and Virginia raised herself forward to allow Maya to slide it down her arms to sit on the floor. Then Maya gave Virginia another kiss, a quick one, and Virginia wondered if she did it to steady her own nerves.

It was such a small step, really, yet its effect was noticeable on both girls. Virginia seemed significantly less full, somehow, incomplete as she sat with no gay purple coat exaggerating how thick her arms were, how large her shoulders. She looked much more normal, sitting in a sleeveless white button-up shirt and leaning back on bare, slim arms.

And with Maya, the effect of seeing Virginia in such a state caused a giddy shiver to run through her. She seemed to be drawn to Virginia's arms, perhaps because they gave the first real, visible evidence that this was truly happening. Her left hand lifted to settle on Virginia's right arm just below the elbow, and then slowly traced two fingers up along it to come to Virginia's small, dainty shoulders. Maya appeared to delight in the smooth, alabaster spot where her companion's arm began, and leant down to lay a sweet kiss on it. Her fingers traveled back down the length of the limb, alerting every tiny, sensitive hair they touched, leaving a ticklish whisper of sensation in their wake.

Never would Virginia have imagined it would be like this with Maya (not that she had ever really considered the notion). Was this gentle, patient woman, arousing such poignant feelings from the subtlest motions, truly Maya Schroedinger? Was this tender patience perhaps a way to reinforce her dedication to her dreams?

Now Maya's fingers were near the end of their downward journey, and brushed against the soft fabric of Virginia's glove. Maya moved her hand behind Virginia's, and gently pushed upwards, giving her a signal to shift her weight to her other arm, which she did. Maya lifted the now unburdened hand, and let its palm rest in her own. She then used her other hand to grasp at the fingers of Virginia's glove, and firmly draw the small garment off.

Virginia's hand was naturally delicate and soft, strangely firmed little by her life, both as a Drifter, and before, as a person like any other who worked against Filgaia to bring harvest from it. Maya's bare hand was far stronger than her own, though no one would call it hard.

Maya lifted her hand further, until it rested by her chin, and then gently kissed its top. She then drew it back a little, and, with careful precision, kissed each finger once. While Virginia's mind and heart still reveled in this, Maya kissed her lightly on her cheek, by her lips, on her lips, below her lips. And as Maya rose slightly to mark her forehead with her last light peck, Virginia might have heard three words barely whispered.

-------------------------------------

And when it was over, they lay together, backs resting against the wall and arms resting around each other.

Virginia felt she should say something to Maya…that what had happened was incredible to her. But it was so unnecessary; Maya could easily tell and it would just make her sound even more naïve and inexperienced. That what had happened had felt right, but that seemed such a silly thing to note. She wanted to ask about the whispered words from before, have their existence confirmed, yet to do so would somehow be like destroying them.

She had so very much to say, and yet no words could convey her feelings. There was only one thing left on her mind that she could form into audible substance.

"Maya?"

The blonde gave a lazily content grunt to acknowledge that she had heard. Virginia took a breath, then asked earnestly, "Maya, where is this going to go? What…what does everything we said and did mean for us from now on?"

Though it had so far been absent for the longest it had ever been from Maya's features in Virginia's presence, her mildly annoyed scowl made its triumphant return. "You know, Virginia, you really know how to kill a mood."

Virginia's expectant gaze did not leave, and Maya sighed in her usual exaggeratedly irate fashion at seeing that the brunette was not going to be dissuaded from returning to serious discussion. "Well," she said amiably, "what do you want?"

It took Virginia a few minutes to find the right words. Once she did, she looked straight into Maya's eyes as she spoke. "I like you, Maya. I've always liked you, in spite of our rivalry and disagreements. Probably a little because of them, too. I'd like to…I do want to be with you. But…"

Those eyes of blue fire stayed focused and calm. "But?"

"But I'm not _just_ Virginia the heroine, Maya. I'm a person…I don't see myself as any hero. I'm just a regular girl from a small town, and part of me just wants normal things, you know?

"My friends and I…we can't all be Drifters forever. I'm glad, and proud, to search for Justice as a Drifter. But it's not something I can do forever…it's not something I'd _want_ to do forever. Some day, I think I'm going to want to settle down, get married, live quietly…be a regular person again. Will you be able to handle being with just a normal girl, Maya?"

The question hung in the temple's air for a long moment. Then, Maya gave a small, almost mirthless chuckle. "There's that annoying, frank honesty again."

They lay for a few minutes more. Virginia did not push for a quick answer, and Maya seemed content to take her time arriving at one. Finally, she answered, "You know, deep down, I'm not all that different…drifting isn't something I plan to do forever. My plan's always been to drift until I achieve my gem; I've never really considered what happens after that. So…when you're ready to retire from this life…if you'll still be my gem, Virginia, then I'll have all I've wanted, and I'll give up drifting for you."

And that was that, it would seem. It was so simple a conclusion that it seemed almost surreal to Virginia, for she had always been lead to believe that matters of romance should be complicated and difficult. But she could not deny the rush of warmth, the tingly happiness in her chest that made her suddenly feel lighter. Her lips pressed against Maya's one last, soft time to seal the promise for the future.

Then she heard a voice to her side call out, "Virginia! Are you in th--oh my."

Virginia's head snapped around to see Clive and Alfred standing outside the girls' cell. Being gentlemen, Alfred was already turned around, and Clive was just turning as well so as not to see his leader and her rival in such a state of undress. The fact that their eyes were now off the girls did not prevent Virginia from letting loose a small shriek.

"Clive! Alfred! What are--I--uh, hang on, don't look!" she stammered shrilly, jumping to her feet and very hastily putting her clothes back on.

"You're cute when you blush," Maya quietly cackled, taking amusement from Virginia's crimson cheeks.

"Quiet!" Virginia hissed with bashful venom. She turned her eyes back to the Schroedinger woman for a moment, and…oh, that was NOT fair. Maya was already fully dressed! That infuriating girl and her shape-shifting abilities!

Clive cleared his throat and began an explanation as his group's leader furiously tried to pull her outfit back together, while Maya stood smirking and offering no assistance whatever. "Er, ahem, once we realized you both must have been caught in that trap, we all split up in groups of two to search for you both, since jumping down into it after you didn't seem prudent…"

"Everyone's okay from the fight, right?" Virginia asked as she buttoned her shirt, trying to maintain some dignity as leader.

"Oh yes, the usual berries and healing spells for our minor wounds were adequate," Clive replied with remarkable calm. "Er, are you finished yet?"

"No!"

-------------------------------------

Once fully dressed, and still blushing fiercely, Virginia allowed the man and boy to turn back around and focus on liberating the girls. To this end, Alfred was very skillful in using his demolitions expertise to blow a large enough hole in the corner where the side wall met the corridor's to allow Virginia and Maya to escape.

Once out, the first thing Virginia said to her teammate was, "You can't tell the others."

Clive nodded, adjusted his glasses, and asked no questions, which Virginia noted and appreciated.

As for Maya, she frowned and lightly whacked her younger brother across the head. "What are you so smug about? Wipe that smirk off your face!"

Alfred did so to the best of his abilities, but it wasn't difficult to see a vindicated thrill of "I Told You So" still lurking in his youthful eyes.

Satisfied that she had sufficiently chastised her sibling, Maya turned to Virginia and announced, "Well! I guess we'll be going now. Let Shady and Todd know we'll be waiting back at town when you find them. See you later, Virginia."

"Wait!" Virginia told her. She stooped down, picked up the book that had inspired this whole incident, and then stood back up. "You don't want this any more? The book on the ultimate hero?"

Maya shrugged, and her eyes sparkled. "Nah. You've earned it. And besides, I think he's outdated."

**The End**

_Author's Note 1_: This version has been cut to be considered appropriate for standards. The uncut, NC-17 version is available upon request.  
_Author's Note 2_: This fic inspired by the Wild Arms section's great need for quality writing to balance out the flood of J/V fics.


End file.
